Diana Perryman
Diana Perryman credited also as Diane Perryman, was an Australian actress, who appeared on stage, and in film and television.
Early life
Perryman was born in Melbourne in 1924 to father, Melbourne-born musical comedy actor and radio station 2KY personality William Harland-Perryman, and mother, Adelaide-born actress, singer and showgirl Dorothy Eileen Duval. Her parents were married in 1923, the year before she was born.Her first acting credit was as a child, on stage in a crowd scene role in White Horse Inn in 1936, alongside her parents and her two year old sister Jill.
Perryman studied acting alongside Maggie Dence, Leonard Teale and Ruth Cracknell.
Career
Perryman was notable for her roles in early television soap operas and appeared in miniseries and made-for-tv movies, She appeared for 156 episodes in the tv series Autumn Affair with Muriel Steinbeck and Queenie Ashton. She was also a regular in tv soap The Story of Peter Grey.Perryman also appeared in numerous theatre productions and radio plays throughout her career, including turning in an Erik Award-winning performance in stage play Two for the Seesaw in 1960.
Personal life
Perryman's younger sister is stage and screen actress and singer Jill Perryman. Through her sister, she has a nephew, Tod Johnston who is an actor, musician and media personality; and a niece, Trudy Dunn who is an actress. Trudy's daughter McKenzie Dunn is also an actress.Diana's husband, Dr. Kenneth Whiteley was a senior lecturer in wool technology at the UNSW and a huge fan of the theatre. Together with sister Jill's dancer/choreographer husband, Kevan Johnston, he urged Perryman to collaborate with her sister, which prompted her to switch to revue.
Perryman was posthumously awarded an MBE in 1979.